By Todd Fuqua

Wind and cold has affected every sport and team in Lincoln County recently, and the boys and girls golf teams at Ruidoso are no exception.

After a very successful first day at the Socorro Georgia Seery Invitational on the New Mexico Tech course, April 3, the Lady Warriors were content with their first-place team plaque after the tournament was cancelled due to high winds on day two.

“The girls played real well, as a team they shot 390,” said Ruidoso coach Melissa Misquez. “That’s the best qualifying score I’ve had with this group, and they were up by 40 strokes.”

That 40-stroke lead also translated to another team qualifying mark for State, as well as individual legs by Lexi Lucero and Alexandra Michelena (82), the fourth for both of them.

“Lexi didn’t play her best, she had four bad holes that killed her score,” Misquez said. “Our three and four players both shot 110, and that’s about where I want them to be.”

That Ruidoso’s girls weren’t allowed to try for their third and final team leg doesn’t bother Misquez. She’s confident the Lady Warriors will get that and more at the two-day Leroy Gooch next week, to be played at the Links and Cree Meadows golf courses.

“We’re having a decent turnout. All the Las Cruces schools will be here, Portales, Lovington,” Misquez said. “There’s a lot of good competition.”

While the got one step closer to State as a team, the boys again fell short, this time by just seven strokes.

However, their team was led by Keegan Van Winkle with an 84, something coach Jason Kampsky has been seeking from the senior for some time.

“Both he and Garrett Eggleston were medalists at this tournament, and Keegan was our four man,” Kampsky said. “Overall it was a pretty good day for us. We cut off three or four strokes per player. Taking five scores in the 80s is a good sign for the whole team.”

Like the girls, Ruidoso’s boys are also going to play in the Leroy Gooch, starting at Alto Lakes on April 10 and finishing up at the Links on day two.

Alto Lakes isn’t the easiest course to get a State leg on, but Kampsky fully expects his boys to get that elusive first leg at the Links, the Warriors’ home course.

“Things are looking up. No, we don’t have a qualifying leg, but I think we’re about to do it,” Kampsky said. “Alto is a bit tighter than what we’re used to, but the greens are more like the Links, so we can hold those greens better.

“There’s really no reason why we can’t pick up a leg on the second day at the Links,” he added.